The China policies”>United States is facing a threat from China’s communist regime that Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has warned is more severe than the Cold War, with a senior House lawmaker emphasizing that the regime poses an “immediate danger.”
Campbell made the remarks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Sept. 18, which was centered around the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Frankly, the Cold War pales in comparison to the multifaceted challenges that China presents. It’s not just the military challenges. It’s across the board. It’s in technology,” Campbell said. ”We need to step up our game across the board.”
The Biden administration has labeled China as “the most consequential” challenge to the United States, saying America seeks competition with Beijing but does not seek a conflict or a new Cold War. The Pentagon has characterized China as its “pacing challenge,” particularly in areas such as cyberspace, the Arctic region, and outer space.
Campbell emphasized the importance of having a bipartisan focus on China.
“Probably the most important thing that we’re going to need to do in terms of a national strategy in the Indo-Pacific is to sustain bipartisanship, and I do believe we’re on the road to that now,” he said. “I think there is recognition that this is the most significant challenge in our history.”
Campbell said that the dominant area of competition is technology, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the committee also warned about the threat posed by CCP.
“The great power competition with China is not just a contest of military might or economic dominance; it is a struggle over rules which will shape 21st century and global balance of power,” McCaul said in his opening remarks at hearing.
